


Yavanna's Cleric

by Moonlightsplash



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Bilbo runs into Dwarf Justice, Cleric Bilbo, F/M, Female Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-24 11:33:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17099825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonlightsplash/pseuds/Moonlightsplash
Summary: One shot.  BotFA AU.  Turns out that Bilbo was hiding a big secret from the Company.  It might just be enough to keep them all alive.





	Yavanna's Cleric

**Author's Note:**

> Female Bilbo Baggins. One shot. Hobbits are magic! The Valar can use Clerics to interact with Middle Earth. Only no one knew that any Clerics still lived! Sneaky hobbits were hiding a secret!
> 
> Rather open ended. This was written in an attempt to help me finish up my much longer Cleric story...

Dain Ironfoot stepped out of the Healing tents, feeling a bit better about the situation. His Healers assured him that Thorin would live, although it was going to be a long recovery for him. The outlook for the boys wasn't nearly as good. There were a damn sight too many dwarrow that wouldn't be living to see tomorrow already and as few as their numbers were anymore, it was a grievous harm.

“Lord Dain!” 

He stopped to let the messenger catch up. “What is it, lad?”

“The hobbit has been found, Lord Dain. They've taken him directly to the Justice tent.”

Dain sighed but nodded. Yet another nasty bit of business to take care of. He waved the messenger on and turned his steps towards the black tent. It started to snow a bit on him and he found his steps getting quicker because of it. The guards both nodded and opened the flaps to the tent for him.

Inside, there were only two guards and both of them had a hand on the hobbit. He only had one of his nobles with him here at Erebor and Lord Nuri was already waiting patiently. Dain was rather fond of the old dwarf. Solid and patient, Nuri made a good Lord. He also stood up and bowed.

“Lord Dain.”

“Nuri. Weather's getting foul already.”

“That it is. It's going to be a bad winter.”

“I'm afraid of that.” Dain said before he sighed. “Let's get on with it then.” He turned to face the hobbit. “Hobbit, in light of the fact that all of the Durins are currently in the Healing tents, I stand in their place. I'm Lord Dain Ironfoot from the Iron Hills and you stand accused of stealing the Arkenstone. The most precious jewel the Line of Durin owns – and giving it to the enemy. How do you plead?”

The hobbit was a delicate looking thing, long limbed and a face as bald as a babe's. Actually, the more he studied it, the more he decided that its features were actually attractive. Needed more weight on its bones though.

“I'm guilty, Lord Dain.” The hobbit said in a lovely, husky voice. 

“You're not even going to try and justify your actions?” Nuri asked in astonishment.

The hobbit shook its head. “No. Ori was quite clear that reasons didn't matter when it came to stealing from the royal family.” It swallowed hard. “Am I to be sentenced to death?”

Dain sighed again and ran a tired hand over his face as he thought about it. The hobbit was a member of Thorin's Company. It had gone in to face the dragon three different times, which took balls of good, worked steel. It had also been the one to call down the eagle which had managed to get Thorin into the Healing tents in a timely manner as well. Bard had even seemed like a level headed sort. Chances were good they'd get the Arkenstone back without much trouble. And if not, Thorin could always order its death when he was back on his feet.

He straightened up. “No. It will be the Breaking.” He announced. “Left hand only, out of respect for all of the hobbit's actions before Erebor.”

The guards nodded and set to work. They were quick about it and the hobbit only yelped on the first finger, managing to keep its mouth shut for the other four. That was better than a lot of the thieves he'd had to sentence before.

The little thing was weaving a bit when they finished, cradling its hand against its chest.

“Take the hobbit to Oin and get its fingers set. As soon as it's done, take it to the Royal tent.” He turned his gaze to the hobbit. “You are far too comely to be able to wander my camp freely, hobbit. Make sure that you stay in the tent. Once Thorin or the boys are awake, one of them can decide what to do with you.”

The guards nodded, grabbing the hobbit and hauling it briskly out the door.

“I'll go make arrangements for food to be delivered for it, Lord Dain.” Nuri told him. “A chamber pot as well.”

“Thank you.”

Nuri just nodded and headed for the tent flaps. He stopped just before he walked out and looked back over his shoulder. “Just for the record, I think you did the right thing. The hobbit is not a dwarf and yet it stayed with the Company through all of it. That kind of bravery is rare and to be rewarded.”

“It still doesn't seem right to punish such a small thing.”

“Nor such a pretty one.” Nuri added with a bit of a chuckle before he disappeared outside.

Dain groaned but followed. There was much to be done.

 

Bella stood stiffly until the guards left her before she allowed the first tear to fall. She curled her hand into her chest and cradled it with her other hand as she took in her surroundings. They'd told her that this was the Royal tent and would be where Thorin stayed once he was released from the Healing tents. She wasn't really sure what that would mean for her. Thorin had thought her a waste of space until the Carrock and his fury at her theft of the Arkenstone was horrifying. She'd definitely never seen a hobbit in such a rage.

There were only a few logs next to the wood stove and seeing as she had no idea how often those were replenished, she thought it best to save them for overnight. There was a chamber pot, a chest, a privacy screen made of out metal and decorated with gems, a small table with two chairs and a cot that was covered with blankets and furs. There was no second cot which must mean that she was still sleeping on the ground.

She sighed and made her way over to the chest. It wasn't locked and opening it revealed a stack of blankets and a few towels and washcloths. She took the blankets. The floor of the tent was covered with oiled cloth, so at least she wouldn't have to worry about getting them too dirty. She laid a couple of them down to make a pallet and then piled the others on top. She folded one of them up tightly and laid it down to use as her pillow. Lastly, she pulled the privacy screen over a bit so that it sat in front of her pallet.

Her hand was aching fiercely in the cold, so she decided to just call it a day. She curled up under the pile of blankets, making sure that even her head was under them. She was completely filthy and still covered with dried blood, but there was no wash water in the tent and she'd been warned against stepping out of it. She wound up having to sleep on her back and resting her hand on her chest to help keep the pain down. It didn't help when she tried to sleep on her side like usual. The blood rushed down into her hand and it hurt terribly.

She had no idea how long she laid there, the pain sharp enough to keep her from slipping off into sleep. The voice of an unfamiliar dwarf got her attention right off though.

“Baggins? Baggins! Where are you, hobbit? I've brought your dinner.”

Bella sighed as she uncovered her spot and struggled to her feet. She made sure to quickly toss the covers back over, hoping to trap some of the heat she'd managed to generate.

“I'm here.” She said as she stepped out from behind the screen. A dwarf that didn't look much older than Fili and Kili was waiting. Unlike her, he was clean and looked rather surprised at the state of her. She grimaced, knowing her hair and clothes were a mess, but she had nothing at all to work with.

The young dwarf finally cleared his throat awkwardly and gestured. “Dinner is on the cart, Baggins. Is there anything else you need?”

She shook her head slowly, trying not to set off another terrible headache. “I'm fine, thank you.”

He shuffled his feet for a moment before he nodded. “I'm Storn. Just tell your Guard out there to get me if'n you need somethin', okay?”

“Of course, Master Storn.”

Storn bobbed his head once more before he walked over to the tent flaps and stopped again. “Baggins? Is there a reason why you're not runnin' the stove?”

“I am not sure how much firewood will be delivered, Master Storn. I thought it wise to use it overnight.”

Storn's eyes darted over to her firewood pile. “I'll take care of it, Baggins. Want me to go ahead and fire it up for you, while you eat? I'll get more firewood delivered in just a bit.”

Not used to being waited on, Bella blinked and looked between him, her dinner and the stove. “I... That would be wonderful, Master Storn. Thank you.” 

The dwarf rushed by her and started loading up the stove. Bella crept by him and settled into one of the chairs, lifting the cover off her plate. It wasn't much – stew, bread and a few dried apple slices, but it was far better than anything she'd had lately. She was finished before Storn came back with more firewood. He left it stacked neatly and she twisted the few apple seeds she'd saved from her slices into a bit of fabric, sticking it in her pocket.

Storn took her plate with him when he left and Bella made her way back to her pallet and buried herself under her covers. The next three days were the exact same schedule. She saw Storn at breakfast and dinner. He'd empty the chamberpot and fill her water pitcher in the morning and bring more firewood in the evening with dinner. Her state of mind was worse with every day that went by with no visitors and her stress increased, wondering when Thorin would be moving into this tent they'd parked her in. On the morning of the fifth day, she decided that she couldn't take anymore.

She waited until Master Storn came through on the morning run before she brought up her hobbit magic and disappeared from sight, slipping out of the tent behind him. She had to keep her hand tucked into her jacket pocket as it ached terribly in the cold, but that was the only concession she allowed herself. It took her nearly a half a glass to weave her way through all of the tents of the dwarven camp and out into the barren wastes of the Desolation.

Once out of the chaos, it was easy to spot the Men. They were all camped around the edge of Dale. The Elves were packing up their camp. An agreement must have been reached with the dwarrow already for them. Bella sighed and turned her feet towards the Men. She'd find Sigrid and Tilda. They could perhaps tell her what was going on here and give her some idea of what to expect from the weather. It was already far colder than the Shire got during winter and it wasn't even near the turn of the year yet! She shuddered just thinking about it.

It was pathetically easy to slip into the camp of Men. Their encampment lacked the organization that the dwarrow had. Even worse, she saw no sign of cookfires. Only two tents had smoke rising from them to indicate some form of heating. Everyone else was either huddled up outside or hiding in one of their makeshift tents.

Bella reached out with her hobbit magic and connected to the Earth, listening for the familiar feel of the children. As soon as she picked up on their locations, she turned in their direction and picked up the pace. She was disturbed to find that her destination appeared to be a lean-to arrangement. It wasn't even a fully enclosed structure! She waited until the pile of ratty blankets shifted and she could see Sigrid's face.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, she stepped around the corner out of sight and became visible again before stepping back out.

“Sigrid? Tilda?” She called out.

Sigrid's head jerked she turned around so fast and Tilda's head poked out of the blankets.

“Mistress Baggins?” Sigrid said in astonishment. “Is it really you?”

Bella smiled and walked up to the girls she'd grown fond of. “That it is, dears. How are your father and Bain doing?”

Both girls looked depressed. “Da has been working himself to the bone every day trying to get something worked out with the dwarrow. No luck so far. Bain is his heir, so he's following along and trying to learn.”

Bella sniffed. “I never have understood the Man custom of only allowing males to inherit. It's odd!”

“Be that as it may Bella, it is what it is.” Sigrid said tiredly. “It's good to see you. We didn't know if you lived through the battle.”

“I did. I'm quite grateful to see that you two did as well. I was worried!” Bella said. “Now. Tell me the situation here. Do you have enough supplies to make it through the winter? What about housing? Are all of you planning on moving into Dale?”

Both girls looked sad. 

“No, Mistress Baggins. The dragon burned down the stores at Laketown. We have nothing left. The Elves offered to sell us food but we have no gold.” Tilda told her.

“And there are plenty of houses in Dale, but we have no craftsmen, Bella.” Sigrid said. “We have no one that knows how to repair and we can't afford to pay for the dwarrow to do it.”

Sorrow weighed her down at their words and she had to force a smile onto her face. “Tell you what, let's go find you a house in Dale. Then we'll see if there is anywhere we can grow crops here, girls.”

At their blank stares, she smiled with a bit of real amusement. “I'm a hobbit. The Earth and everything in it are what do. Besides, Da built an entire home for Ma for their wedding. I've grown up crafting and I can show you two how to do it as well. I'm hopeful that the blacksmith here might still have the tools we'll need.”

“You...” Sigrid looked stunned. “You can grow crops in this weather? Even so, we'll starve long before they ripen.”

“I can make them get done faster.” Bella said. “Now, wrap yourselves up warmly and let's go do some investigating, okay? We'll need a source of seed as well. Even just a few as I can grow them out and we'll save the seed a few times before we'll be ready to plant a large crop.”

Just like that, both girls were on their feet. She was glad to see that they both still had their shoes and she made them wrap up in their blankets. Only then did they set out towards Dale. It wasn't far to the entrance. Bard had set up the lean-to quite close to the gates. No one even seemed interested in what they were doing and they made it into Dale with no trouble.

It was interesting to walk through the town. The layout was smooth and logical and they soon found themselves at an enormous stone building. The stone sign still attached to the front called it the City Hall. Bella looked around.

“Well, this is the center of town. We passed the old open air market on the way here and since your Da is the new Lord of Dale, I think your family needs a house quite close to here. People are going to want to know where to find him.” She told them, urging them to walk around the square and see if they could find the old house of the Lord. They found it. It was directly behind the City Hall and all of them stared at the house in amazement. It was huge for one, but also, it was beautiful. Even now, after two hundred years of abandonment, there was no mistaking the craftsmanship of those who had built this place.

“This?” Tilda said in shock. “You think this is our house?”

“Aye. Come on. Let's step inside and see how bad it is.” Bella told them. The girls rushed after her, helping her to push open the Man sized door.

Inside, it wasn't nearly as bad as she'd thought it might be. The outer and inner walls were all built out of stone and still were sound. Even the stairs that led to the second level were made out of stone. At one time, they'd had decorative wooden planks on them and wooden handrails, but most all of that was in shambles. She crawled into the fireplaces and used her connection to the Earth to sound them out, satisfied that all of them were sound.

They found four places where the roof leaked and after dragging some of the dilapidated furniture over so she could stand on it, she got a better look at each of them. 

“I can fix this!” She told both of them, satisfied. “We're going to need to find a house that has the same type of clay tiles on the roof and take them for this one.” 

“There are a lot of houses that are falling down, Bella. I think we can find one to use.” Sigrid said, sounding anxious. “What about all of the rotten wood?”

“Oh! That's not a problem, dear. I just need to find tools. We've got to find the blacksmith's forge and see what there is available!” Bella told them. “Winter is coming in fast. We need the roof repaired first. I can show you two how to mix mortar up for the chimney and you two can patch all of the broken places while I work on the roof.” 

Sigrid and Tilda both looked nervous but nodded. 

“Come on then. We're losing daylight. We need to find those tools and then see about planting our first crop.” Bella told them. “We can do this.”

It was midday by the time they found the blacksmith's old forge. The girls had no idea what to look for, but Bella did. Thankfully, it looked like the blacksmith had just dropped everything and ran when the dragon attacked as the place was still packed full of his tools and inventory. It took Bella nearly a full glass to pick through the tools to find the ones they'd need. There were enough there for three full sets, although the girls wouldn't know how to use the more complicated woodcrafting tools until she showed them. 

They also found an entire table filled with lanterns! Tilda was the one that found the old wheelbarrow. It wasn't in good shape, but it rolled. They loaded it up with their haul and carried everything they found back to their house. Bella was quite grateful that she didn't have to push it. With only one working hand right now, it would have been quite a challenge!

They piled everything up in the front room. She was going to have to get some oil (or more than likely, grow the rape seed and process it herself) and clean up and oil all of the tools. Every one of them was Man sized, but she could still use them if she was careful. Satisfied she'd done all she could until she could sit by the fire and clean up her tools, she turned to the girls.

“Alright. Did you see that fancy park that we walked by? It had plenty of raised beds in it.” She pulled out the twist of fabric from her pocket and held it out. “I saved apple seeds. I can grow the trees there. I also have an acorn. If I grow it outside of town, I can send it to seed and we can pick up the acorns. Once we've got them, I'll see about planting us a forest. We'll need it for firewood. Do you know of anywhere else we can get seeds? We can't live on just apples.”

Sigrid sighed. “Bella, please don't take this the wrong way, but... I will need to see this ability of yours in action first. There is no way I can convince the others to part with precious seed otherwise. It's all most of us have left.”

“So you truly have never dealt with hobbits before?” Bella asked in amazement. “I would have thought that somewhere in your history, you might have. Hobbits originated in Gladden Fields. Not that far from here actually.”

“REALLY?” Both of them said in unison.

Bella nodded. “Really. But for now, let me go plant the apple seeds and get our first crop set. You will have something to show the others and they can help harvest. More than likely, a central pantry will have to be set up for this winter. I have no idea how you could split it otherwise.”

It didn't take long to make their way back to the park and the girls just watched as she planted her apple seeds carefully, spacing them out in the beds. Taking a deep breath, she laid her hands on the soil and called up her hobbit magic. She could feel the stench of the Desolation curse break and disperse under the touch of her magic and the seeds swelled into life. It took her less than ten minutes to have all of her trees grown, flowered, set and fruited. She smiled as she let go of her magic and stepped back to study her work.

“That'll do it!” She said cheerfully. “We need to get all of the apples picked off quickly and stored. They won't hold in this weather.”

Silence met her ears and she turned to them with her nose twitching in confusion. “Is something wrong?”

Sigrid and Tilda's eyes were huge as they stared.

“Bella...” Sigrid finally said faintly. “You really do have magic!”

Bella nodded. “Hobbit magic, dear. It's easy to do small areas like this. It will take a much larger working on my part to do a field. We usually work in groups to boost fields when needed.”

Tilda was still staring at the apple trees but Sigrid finally looked at her. Bella could see determination shining in her eyes.

“You can do this with fields?”

Bella nodded again. “Yes. It's a lot more work for a lone hobbit though.”

“You...” Sigrid cleared her throat. “Tilda! Stay here with Bella! I'm going to go round up some of the other women. We're going to need help.”

Bella watched her run off and turned to Tilda. “Well, it's just us. How about we go collect another couple of wheelbarrows? Maybe some buckets as well? We're going to need something to collect all the apples in to haul them to wherever the pantry will be set up.”

Tilda's head bobbed before she rushed over and hugged her tightly. “Thank you, Bella! Thank you so much!”

Tilda let go of her and wiped a hand across her eyes. “I'm with you!”

By the time Sigrid came back leading a group of women, Bella and Tilda had located a couple of old ladders, several wheelbarrows and a pile of buckets. She had taught Tilda how to pick apples without damaging the fruiting spur and they'd already filled up two wheelbarrows with apples.

It didn't take long to teach the others the proper way to pick apples and she sorted through the seeds they'd brought to choose plants that would grow well around the apple trees. Sigrid sent out three teams to check the town for more garden areas while they worked. Bella let them pick as she planted the crops between the trees and used her magic to grow them.

Three full glasses later, she'd planted and boosted to harvest the crops in all five formal gardens they'd found. The women were picking non-stop and carrying it all back to City Hall. Sigrid was a force of nature. She'd arranged a crew to get the basement cleaned out and they'd hauled in as many shelves and tables as they could find to store their food on.

It was less than a glass to dark by the time she made it out of the southern gates of Dale, along with a small group of women. She was going to plant her acorn and boost it so that it would set and they were going to pick up all of the acorns. Then tomorrow, they'd take them back out here and she could get to work planting and growing all of them. They needed firewood quite desperately.

The acorn she'd picked up from Master Beorn's place grew far better than she'd expected. By the time it was mature, it was... enormous! Even the acorns that now carpeted the ground were huge! They'd brought two wheelbarrows and ten buckets, but Sigrid had to send a couple of people back for more wheelbarrows as they all set to work picking up acorns.

It was almost full dark by the time they made it back to the City Hall with their haul of acorns. They had six wheelbarrows and ten buckets filled up and Bella was satisfied that they'd gotten most of them. The doors were flung open at their approach and light shone out as they were greeted by a crowd of people. Sigrid kept herself between her and the crowd and Bella slipped gratefully onto the box near the fireplace to warm up. 

Her hand was aching fiercely from the cold and the number of times she'd bumped it today.

“Bella, stay here. Tilda and I are going to go and see about getting our dinner, okay?” Sigrid asked. “We'll be right back.”

“Of course, Sigrid. Let me know if you need anything.” Bella told her, watching as the girls disappeared into the crowd. She turned her attention back to the fire with a sigh. It wasn't long before another box was dropped next to hers and a man settled onto it with a sigh of relief. It was Bard.

“Hello Lord Bard.” Bella said politely.

“Hello, Bella.” He said, looking defeated. “Things are a lot harder than I thought they'd be.”

Bella grimaced but nodded politely. “Politics are never easy.” 

He nodded slowly. “The dwarrow don't want to listen.”

“They're stubborn Lord Bard and you didn't present yourself in a good light to them. It might even be as late as next spring before they compromise. Their pride is stirred up now.” She told him.

Bard frowned at her. “How did we not present ourselves in a good light?”

“Yeah!” A man across the fire asked. “We did nothin' wrong!”

“Twas the damn dwarves that did it!”

The room was soon filled with unhappy complaints and Bella sighed.

“None of you have ever negotiated a treaty before, have you?” She asked.

The group around the fire all finally shook their heads 'no'.

“How old are each of you?”

“Thirty-five.” Bard said.

“Twenty seven!”

“Thirty one!”

One by one, they all called out their ages. Not a one of them was over forty. She frowned.

“Goodness but I'm older than all of you.” She told them. “I'm fifty-four.”

Bard's jaw dropped open in shock. “You cannot be fifty-four!”

She raised an eyebrow. “I am in the prime of hobbit middle-age, Lord Bard. My mother was the Thain of the Shire's favorite daughter and my father was the Master of Bag-End. My family owns 90% of all land around Hobbiton, which is the town I grew up in. I have nearly three hundred families that live and rent from me. It's been my job to settle disputes, set taxes, negotiate contracts and make sure that everything runs smoothly for all of us, ever since my parents died.”

“...Well.” Bard said faintly. “I had no idea.”

“Now, I'll not disagree that dwarrow-not dwarves, which is incorrect-are quite stubborn. The plus side is that as long as you befriend them, they are quite loyal. Your town was destroyed by the dragon Smaug.” 

“Which the damn dwarrow riled up!” One of the men yelled.

Bella frowned. “If you're going to engage in politics and become a successful town, you've got to think with your head and not your emotions!”

A few of the men looked grumpy, but others were nodding in agreement. Bard was one of them.

She huffed. “Now, I have no part in either side of this conflict. From the side of the dwarrow, it was their right to reclaim their home. They were run out by the dragon Smaug and no one offered sanctuary to any of them. Not even for their women and children.”

Silence was slowly falling across the room as more and more people listened in.

“The dwarrow are also very security conscious as you can see from Erebor. All of their mountain homes are built like that. The dwarrow have a long history of war with the orcs and they plan for it. To them, you folks building your town on the Lake, right at the foothills of the mountain, was just asking for trouble. Building out of wood, even more so, considering a dragon slept just down the road a bit. In their minds, your town was going to burn one day, no doubt about it.”

This time, there was a lot of grimacing going on and people started nodding.

“It is nothing that we had not already thought of ourselves.” Bard told her. “Poverty stopped us from being able to change our fate.”

“I'll not go into why you all chose to live in Laketown. That's your own business.” Bella told him. “But you have to keep in mind what a dwarf thinks of when he's dealing with you, okay?”

Bard nodded once more.

“Good. Now, as soon as you managed to kill the dragon Lord Bard, what did you do?”

Bard frowned, his brow furrowed. 

“The Company had only just regained Erebor, Lord Bard. They managed to blockade the Main Gates during the few short days available before you showed up with an army on their doorstep and demanded gold.”

“But, Bella! King Thorin promised it to us! He lied!” Bard spit out and Bella held up a hand.

“I'm not done here, okay? This is a lesson in politics, Lord Bard.” She waited for him to settle once more.

“The Ereborian dwarrow have been beyond poor since they were driven out of their home. Hundreds of them starved to death. Hundreds more froze to death as they wandered. Can you imagine what the sight of all that gold meant to a people that had far less than you did?” She asked him. “King Thorin has been King for his people for longer than any of us have been alive. He works for pennies in the towns of Men, trying to scrape up enough money to get them through another winter.”

“The King works?” One man scoffed. “That be a load of horse shit!”

Bella frowned. “The King is a Master Blacksmith and his preferred Craft is sword smithing. He is able to create swords that are true works of art. From what I understand though, most orders were for the more mundane pots, pans, armor, arrow heads and other tools that a town requires. He's been filling orders for nearly two hundred years now.”

Silence fell.

“Two hundred years?” Bard finally asked.

Bella nodded. “King Thorin is just shy of his two hundredth birthday. His advisor Lord Balin is two hundred and two. His Captain of the Guards Lord Dwalin is one hundred and ninety seven. Both of his sister sons, the Princes Fili and Kili are just over seventy.”

The room had gone still.

“Do you see the difference in experience now, Lord Bard? They have been settling treaties and contracts for TWO HUNDRED YEARS! They know every trick in the book and you're not going to bully them or pressure them into giving in.” Bella said seriously. “Erebor and Dale used to thrive because they worked together. However, Erebor doesn't NEED Dale the way that all of you need Erebor.”

A man in the back scoffed. “Never seen no dwarf farming, halfling!”

“I'll thank you to remember that 'halfling' is an insult to a hobbit, young man. I am not half of anything! I am a hobbit!” She snapped back. “Bard, you are going to have to choose wisely for your Council. They cannot keep throwing insults around! The dwarrow have been known to call blood feuds that last for centuries!”

Bard groaned. “Hear that, Adel? Shut up!”

The others started laughing and the young man turned a bit red but he nodded. Bella smiled a bit.

“Now unfortunately for all of you, the Ereborian dwarrow settled in the Blue Mountains which is quite close to the Shire. The Shire is my home. It's where hobbits live and as your girls saw today Lord Bard, a hobbit's gifts lie in the Earth and what grows in it.”

Bard nodded, and around him, the other men did as well. Apparently, they all had already heard of what she can do.

“The Shire has been supplying the Ereborian dwarrow food for close to one hundred and fifty years. It is not that difficult to imagine a supply caravan that runs from between the Shire and Erebor to keep them supplied, is it? The dwarrow have caravan guards a plenty and now they have enough money to build wagons and do such an undertaking.”

Low murmurs of dismay rolled through the room.

“Dammit!” Bard cursed, running a hand through his hair. “I had no idea!”

“Now, do you see the importance of a good news network, Lord Bard? You need to plan ahead and send people out to neighboring towns to get a feel for what's going on. You'll have to plan patrols so that you are always aware of when enemies are around and what numbers they have. Information is the lifeblood of a working kingdom.”

Slowly, she watched as determination filled the faces around her. 

“In order to negotiate with the dwarrow, for one, you've got to let them cool off first. There is no place to even spend any gold here or for days and days of travel. With winter drawing in, there is even less chance of being able to send anyone out. Most definitely, they wouldn't get back with supplies before being snowed in.” She told them. “Do you understand now what happened? The job of a leader isn't a pleasant one, but it's necessary. Someone has to be able to sit back and look at the facts before deciding on a course of action.”

Bard heaved a sigh and nodded. “Aye. I understand it a bit better now. I'm definitely a beginner when it comes to politicking though.”

Bella smiled again, this time a bit amused. “That was just to help you understand where the dwarrow are coming from, Lord Bard. In order to function, there is much you need to understand. The customs of each different race. The customs of each of the different towns of Men you want to deal with. How to hold a formal dinner. How to dress for a formal dinner, as you don't want anyone to think you're weak. The things that can and cannot be said during meetings and dinners. You name it. It will take years for you to get up to speed and that's only if you really work at it. Your Council will also need to be just as adept as you are.”

Bard groaned and rubbed his eyes. “Formal dinners?”

“Aye. Long, complex, drawn out affairs that make everyone tired, but also demonstrate that you are not a backwoods outpost that can be taken advantage of.” Bella sighed. “Probably around March of next year, you can send a message to the Mountain and ask for a meeting. During that meeting, you will present a rough outline of what you'd like to receive in exchange for the Arkenstone.”

“Not until MARCH?” Someone called out.

“That's right. You don't even have a secure place to store any gold yet! You'll be amazed at how quickly negotiations will go then. Lord Bard, you will ask for all of the gold in the hoard from Dale in exchange.” She smiled. “Dale was a wealthy town at the height of its power when it fell. It should be more than enough to get you up on your feet. Until then, there is much to be done if your people want to become farmers, not even counting survive the winter.”

“That sounds a damn sight better than sitting there and listening to the damn dwarrow yack on for hours about nothin'.” A gruff voice called out. “Borin' as hell, let me tell ya!”

“So your people are farmers.” Lord Bard said softly. “You would be willing to help us get on our feet here?”

She nodded. “I will do what I can.”

“Sigrid and Tilda tell me that you also know carpentry.”

“It's true. My Da built my Ma a smial... umm... what you would call a house, for their wedding gift. It was the largest and finest in Hobbiton. His hobby after that was always carpentry and I spent years in his shop with him. We built most of the furniture in the smial. I didn't see any tools here that were designed for hobbit use, but I can do some with the giant tools that the blacksmith had left in his shop. Your girls and I already picked out your home, Lord Bard. As soon as I have the crops grown and stored, we'll start repairing it.”

“So tomorrow you're going to grow us a forest then? And fields of crops, too?” Bard asked.

“No, tomorrow I'm going to grow a forest so that your people can get busy felling trees. We need firewood desperately and also wood to be stored and seasoned for repairs. Do you have anyone that has run a sawmill or perhaps a carpentry shop before?”

“I don't know but I'll find out in the morning.” Bard told her.

“If you can find them, they need to go check out the old sawmill and see about getting it cleaned up and ready for use. The same with the blacksmith. Those that you won't have on guard duty need to get busy with felling trees and hauling them to the mill to be cut. I found that there are many women here that know how to handle a team. We're going to get to work clearing the fields tomorrow. Only a handful will remain here to get the evening meal cooked and finish up the basement pantry. Once the crops come in, it will take a lot more people to get it all preserved.”

“She's right, Da.” Sigrid said, handing him a bowl of stew. “We've already got a list made out of items we've got to find and get cleaned up. Food storage, firewood, the sawmill, the blacksmith and then waterproofing the houses... It's going to take a lot of work.”

“Here you go, Bella.” Tilda said, handing her a bowl.

“Thank you, Tilda.” Bella told her, turning her attention to dinner. She was starving and more than ready to go to sleep. Thankfully, the men finally seemed satisfied and everyone turned their attention to eating.

 

Thorin Oakenshield stopped on the edge of camp and looked out at Dale. The town had been a hotbed of activity for the past two weeks or so. They'd managed to grow an entire forest overnight and been dragging logs up to the old sawmill which seemed to be running now. It looked like most everyone else had been working the ground around town. The Men had cleared land for a league in all directions and put the plow to it. As cold as it already was, he had no idea what their plan was.

“Isn't it interesting that we lost Bella and suddenly the Men became much more politically savvy?” Balin asked, sounding amused.

“You think she's the one behind all that then?” Thorin asked him. “The Men would listen to a hobbit?”

Balin laughed. “Bella is far from just a hobbit, Thorin. If there's anyone out there that they'd listen to, it would be her.”

Thorin grimaced, not about to admit that he missed her. The blonde spitfire had wormed her way into his heart somehow and then he'd gone and ruined everything by falling to the same sickness as his grandfather. The things he'd done... It just didn't bear thinking about.

A hand landed on his shoulder. “Want me to send a few of the Company out there to see about her?” Dwalin asked. “The Ur brothers could be spared.”

“No... I...” His voice trailed off as a crowd suddenly emerged through the gates of Dale and streamed out towards the fields. The Men stopped at the edge of the closest field and started sitting bags all around. There was no mistaking the shining gold hair of the little figure that kept walking out into the freshly turned earth. He frowned immediately. “It's far too cold for Bella to be out here! She's not a dwarf!”

“Whatever is she doing though...?” Balin asked in confusion. “Apparently, even the Men are involved in it!”

Thorin could hear the sounds of more dwarrow as others caught sight of the odd spectacle and came out for a closer look. The Men had their horse teams all hitched up to wagons and farm implements, but they were all standing patiently in a line. The Men themselves had formed up into an orderly line that extended for nearly a league. Bella had stopped out in the middle of the closest field and he could see her unbutton her jacket and take it off. She laid it carefully on the ground to the side of her, leaving her in only her short sleeve button up shirt. Thorin nearly growled.

“It is FAR too cold out her for her to be without even her pitiful jacket! I'll have to have words with the Men!” He ground out furiously.

“What in the name of Mahal is going on out here?” Dain asked as he clomped up next to them. “The whole camp is busy watching.”

“The Men are doing something and my hobbit is participating.” Thorin snapped out. “She should know better than to be out here without her coat on!”

Dain cast him a side-eyed look before suddenly smiling. “Your hobbit, cousin? I didn't know it was like that.” Dain's eyes got huge. “Wait a minute! SHE? The hobbit is female?”

“He wants her to be Lord Dain and yes, the hobbit is female.” Balin said, ever cheerful.

Thorin's angry answer never made it past his lips as his attention was drawn back to Bella. She raised her hands and even as far away as they were, they could hear her start singing.

“Is that Hobbitish?” Dwalin asked.

“Aye. I've only heard it twice.” Balin said. “I didn't know she could sing.”

Bella had a beautiful voice, high and floating and the Hobbitish sounded like... like the twittering of birds or something like that. It was definitely nature sounding, he just couldn't figure it out. Bella finished up what must have been the first section of her song as she lowered her arms and turned to start walking. Her song never stopped although it sounded different now.

Thorin watched as spellbound as everyone else as Bella walked out and made a loop. Her walk seemed very stylized as every few steps, she'd spin or make arm movements to go along with the song. When she made it back to the starting point, she simply set out in a different direction, working on another loop. Behind her, right where she'd made a path in the soil, the ground started to glow a soft gold color.

At some point, even the rustling of the other dwarrow fell quiet as a heavy feeling of presence slowly settled across them. It wasn't frightening though. Instead, it was a strong feeling of comfort and security. It took Bella nearly a half a glass of non-stop singing and walking to complete four full loops, one in each of the cardinal directions. Instead of stopping though, she kept going and before his disbelieving eyes an ever more complex sigil wove itself in glowing lines in the field.

By the time she made it back to the center and finally stopped, every eye was on her. She was surrounded by a brightly shining sigil that covered nearly the entire field she stood in. Bella raised her hands and finally quit singing. This time, it sounded more like... like a prayer... or a plea of some kind to go by the rhythm of it. It took several long minutes for her to go all the way through it and when she stopped the silence was deafening. For just a moment, nothing happened.

But then, the sigil suddenly changed over from gold to a bright, shimmering green and a bolt of green light suddenly shone down from the heavens to land on her. Bella vanished into a column of power and dwarrow and Men both cried out in shock and fear at the sight.

The blazing brilliance of the light slowly dimmed a bit and he could make out Bella's figure within. All around her, the ground started glowing a soft green color. It was slow at first, but picked up speed, spreading out and away from Bella in a perfect ring of power. As it traveled ever outwards, a black mist rose from the ground and dissipated into the air.

A few of the dwarrow tried to outrun it, but by the time it reached them, it was far too fast. Their entire encampment was engulfed in the wash of power and Thorin gasped, putting his hand to his chest.

“This... This feeling...” Balin gasped out. “By Mahal, but Bella is a Cleric! She has invoked the Lady Yavanna!”

All of the bags that the Men had lined up turned out to be seed. The seeds exploded out of the bag in a cloud of sparkles, raining down over the fields in a shimmer of magic. As they all watched, new growth suddenly sprouted from the ground and soon the fields were awash in green. In less than a quarter of a glass, Bella had nearly vanished into the now gently waving wheat. 

By the time a half a glass had passed, all of the crops that now surrounded the town were nearing harvest. The corn was covered with full sized ears and all the grain crops were turning gold, their seed heads waving in the wind. Thorin could see all kinds of crops growing closer to town and in the far distance, it looked like fruit trees had grown into an orchard.

At three quarters of a glass, the green glow faded from the ground, leaving only the original glowing sigil in the field. But Bella... Bella came walking out of the field. She turned and headed for the rather ragged road that ran from Dale to Erebor and the Men seemed confused. Apparently, this wasn't something they'd expected.

Thorin found himself moving before he thought about it, striding across the uneven ground towards the road. He wanted to be there when Bella got here. The Men had fallen in behind her, following along about a hundred paces back as his hobbit walked. As she got closer, it was easy to see that she was still surrounded a greenish mist that must be pure magic. It only took a moment to spot the full-color, climbing rose tattoo that took up her left arm from elbow to shoulder. It was a red rose and it was in full bloom. He'd never seen one so life-like!

He was hoping for some sign of acknowledgment as Bella walked by, but all of her focus was on Erebor. Her pace never slackened and she showed no signs of the bitter cold that she had to be feeling. Thorin fell into pace next to her, not content to trail behind when his hobbit was being used to fulfill the will of one of the Valar. It was a long walk and took another half glass before they were standing at the gates. Construction was still underway, as they wanted to be able to secure the mountain as quickly as possible. 

Thorin could see dwarrow peaking down from the battlements, trying to see what was going on. Bella didn't seem to notice any of it. Instead, she walked right out onto the cleared section in front of the Gates and raised her hands. A voice that was most definitely not Bella's came from her then, deep and vast.

“My husband, I have brought my Cleric so that you may help your children!” The woman's voice rang out. The very ground seemed to shiver at the words and just like that, the shimmering cloud of green surrounding Bella suddenly turned the deep red of the forge. Shining bands of reddish magic carved a new sigil into the stone beneath her feet and Thorin fell to his knees as the new presence washed over him. 

Behind him, he could hear the clatter of dwarrow all falling to their knees, some going prostrate as to the last dwarf, they bowed their head in the presence of their Creator. Mahal's power was that of the heat of the forge, the molten presence of liquid metal and the heavy solidity of stone.

“Mahal!” Thorin called out, the others taking up the cry.

The reddish glow got so bright that none could look at it. Erebor itself started to glow with the same bright magic and just as the Lady Yavanna had done to the ground, Mahal broke the dragon's curse on Erebor. A black mist rose from the very stone of the mountain, dissipating into the air. Thorin could see that the walls inside the mountain were glowing just as brightly. It went on for more than a quarter of a glass before the magic slowly faded.

Bella turned to face them. It was odd, seeing the overlay of the Creator on top of Bella's delicate frame. She held out her hands and a deep, booming voice spoke in Khuzdul.

“My children! It has been too long since I have had a Cleric. My beloved wife is allowing me to share hers. I ask that you treat her with the utmost of respect. What you have accomplished here has made me proud. Long may the Line of Durin prosper!”

Thorin raised his fist and cheered, echoed by all of the others gathered up behind him.

“Thorin Oakenshield, you have my Blessing. The Cleric is exhausted from channeling both my wife and myself. Make sure she rests for at least a week and gets plenty to eat.”

“Yes, Creator.” Thorin said, bowing his head.

“The mountain is safe to enter now. I look forward to being able to maintain a closer relationship with all of you. Farewell for now, my children!” Bella raised a hand and just like that, all of the magic snapped out and she collapsed where she stood.

“Bella!” Thorin called out, rushing forward to scoop her up. “Oin!”

“Here, Thorin! Use my cloak to wrap around her. Her lips look blue!” Dwalin said, throwing his cloak over her. Both of them spent a second getting her wrapped up as tightly as they could.

“Is she alright?” Bard asked as he made his way up to them. “She had no idea that anyone other than the Lady Yavanna might answer.”

“She will be. We were told that she needs to rest for at least a week and get plenty to eat. Right now, she's freezing. I've got to get her back to the tent and warmed up.” Thorin told him.

“When she wakes, tell her that we know what to do and the crops will be brought in on time.” Bard told her. “We can work out how to divide it up later. Can you please keep us informed?”

Thorin nodded once. “It will be done.”

He took off towards the camp, walking quickly and only just then realizing that he was carrying Bella without pain. The wound in his stomach was closing but nowhere near good enough for him to be able to do this. He frowned and looked at Dwalin.

“How's your leg?”

“Not hurtin' a bit.” Dwalin said. “Quit hurting when we got hit with that green wave of magic.”

“The Lady Yavanna is a healer.” Balin said from his other side. “I wonder if she healed everyone else?”

Thorin couldn't help the pride that straightened his back as he walked back. Dwalin and Balin flanked him and Bella was still completely out of it in his arms. But the entire trek back to camp, the path was lined with dwarrow. As they neared, everyone bowed deeply and he could hear endless whispers of 'King Thorin', 'Mahal' and 'Cleric'. The Company had gathered up in front of his tent but it was all he could do not to leap forward at the sight of his boys.

Fili and Kili had been grievously injured. Oin hadn't been able to do anything further to help them and it had been wait and see since the battle. Watching his boys fade away... Thorin shuddered. But now? Just as Balin and Dwalin had thought, everyone had been healed. His boys were smiling and waving as they approached and he gestured with his chin.

“Go on in. I've got to get Bella into bed and then I'm going to hug both of you, understood?” He said roughly. “Watching the two of you fade was the hardest thing I've ever done.”

Fili's smile was blinding and he reached out and caught him by the back of his neck, pulling him over a bit to bump foreheads. “Uncle.”

“Nephew.” Thorin said thickly. 

Kili did the same thing and dammit! Thorin was blinking back tears as he stepped into his tent. Dori already had the blankets turned back on the cot and Bofur was busy stoking the wood stove up more. Thorin tucked Bella in carefully before smoothing her hair back out of her face. He finally turned to his Company, just as Dain and his Lord Nuri both stepped inside and bowed.

“Cousin. Lord Nuri.” Thorin greeted them. “Did you both witness?”

“Aye.” They said in unison.

“Mahal gave you his Blessings, Thorin! You are truly a great King.” Dain said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Thorin made no comment about the suspicious wetness of Dain's eyes but he did walk forward and bump foreheads with him. Dain simply grabbed him into a bear hug, hanging on for dear life.

“A stone-bedamned Cleric, Thorin! A CLERIC!” Dain kept saying, over and over. “I didn't know. I didn't know, Thorin! I sentenced her, well I thought she was a he back then, and saw it carried out...” Dain's voice as unsteady. “I'll accept whatever punishment you deem fit.”

Thorin stiffened before memory caught up. “Her hand. That's what happened to her hand then.”

“Aye.” Dain said thickly. “I didn't know...”

“None of us did, cousin. Bella didn't share this with us at all and we journeyed with her for nearly a year.” Thorin told him. “You were merciful. You could have sentenced her to death or broken the fingers on both hands. As it stands, she is healed now.”

Dain pulled back. “She was ridiculously brave. Asked me straight out if I was going to put her to death, but I couldn't. She stayed with your Company and faced the dragon three times and she was not even a dwarf!”

Thorin's smile grew fond. “Aye. She is ridiculously brave. I cannot issue punishment for her sentencing. None of us knew at the time Dain, and thus, I can't hold it against you. You did what you thought was right.”

Dain pulled out his handkerchief and blew his nose. “The men are wide open in the fields out there. I would ask if you want me to send dwarrow down to help them bring in the crops. Word is that the food will be split between us.”

“Aye. Send Bombur into the mountain to get the main kitchen cleaned up and ready for use. I also need someone to check and make sure the grain mill is still operational, as well as the presses. Any jars that can be found must be given to the kitchen for sterilization. We have to get all of this food prepped for storage as quickly as possible. Bombur runs the main kitchen back in the Blue Mountains. He knows what to do. Just make sure he's got the dwarrow to get it all done.”

Dain bowed his head. “My weather guides tell me that the snows are coming in hard. We have less than two weeks to get secure before they hit.”

“Dammit.” Thorin said, frowning. “I'll send the Ur brothers to Lord Bard. They can help him patch buildings at least. They've got to have secure shelter for the winter.”

“Lord Dain, I can set up crews to see about getting the living quarters cleaned up as well.” Nuri said. “Would you like me to start?”

Dain looked over at him and raised an eyebrow. Thorin nodded.

“We've got to be moved in, preferably a couple of days before the snow flies.”

“I'll take care of it. We need hay too!” Dain said, striding back out of the tent and bellowing names out.

Thorin could hear the clattering of booted feet running as he turned back to his Company. “Did any of you know that Bella was a Cleric?”

Everyone shook their head 'no' and he sighed. “Why would she keep such a secret from us?”

Silence fell for a few seconds before he shook it off. “All of you are some of the bravest dwarrow I've ever seen. One day, I'll finally be able to honor all of you properly. For now though, we've got to get the men's houses repaired, the crops brought in, the mountain cleaned and secured and all of us moved. We've got two weeks.”

There were a few dry chuckles but they all knew the seriousness of the issues facing them. 

“Bifur and me, we'll go find Bard now.” Bofur said. “Don' look like there be much work to do to get those roofs tight.”

“Thank you.” Thorin said, watching as they slipped out. “Dori? Can I ask you to serve Bella for now? She'll need someone here to make sure she's resting and also to make sure her meals are delivered on time. If you can get Nori to venture into the mountain to look for some clothes for her as well, it would be appreciated.”

Dori bowed. “Of course, King Thorin. Nori thinks he's hiding from me, but I know exactly where he is! I'll go find him now and send him on his way.” Dori slipped out of the tent.

“Oin? Gloin? Can the two of you find the infirmaries and see about getting them cleaned and stocked? We're all going to be stuck inside without all the amenities this winter. I want to make sure that we have what we need to keep everyone healthy. There's a good chance that the men grew herbs as well. Check with them and see what we can get.”

“Aye, King Thorin.” They chorused. Oin stuck his ear trumpet back in his pocket as they trotted out of the tent.

Thorin turned to look at Fili, Kili, Dwalin, Balin and Ori. “All of you are with me. We're going to be checking in on everything and helping where we can. There's not much time.”

“Good plan.” Balin said cheerfully.

“We'll leave as soon as Dori gets back then.” Dwalin said. “Walking don't seem like such a chore when both my damn legs are workin'.”

Thorin nodded. “Or you're not worried that your insides want to be on your outside.”

Dwalin laughed and nodded. “That's never a good feelin', is it?”

Thorin let his gaze wander back over to his hobbit. She was at least clean and her hair was shining a soft gold in the light. “Did either of you ever know that hobbits had Clerics to the Lady Yavanna?”

“Not a word.” Balin said. “And I've held countless meetings with them. They'll talk your ear off, but not once did they mention such a thing.”

“Smart on their part, isn't it? I guess the hobbits are a lot craftier than I thought they were all these years.” Dwalin said. “I thought Clerics were a relic of times long past.”

“So did I.” Thorin said. “Now, Bella has turned out to be able to channel TWO of the Valar. It's probably been hundreds of years since Mahal had a Cleric he could work through.”

“Yes, King Thorin!” Ori cut in. “It's been just over a full Age, since we had a living Cleric.”

Thorin walked over and hugged his boys tightly. “The two of you will let me know if you feel bad in any way, understood? I worry about leaving Bella here with only Dori as a Guard. I wouldn't mind it at all if one or both of you wanted to stay with her. In fact, it would probably ease my mind.”

Fili and Kili traded looks before Kili shrugged.

“I'll stay for today, Uncle. I don't mind. I don't like the idea of Bella being so unsecured here either, especially now that everyone knows she's a Cleric.”

Thorin tipped his head at Kili. “Thank you. Make sure you stay warm as well.”

Kili just grinned, well used to him mothering him. He grabbed one of the chairs and pulled it over next to the cot.

“I'll be right here, Uncle.”

“Fili, your pack is in the corner there. Make sure you pull out your winter gear and dress warmly.” Thorin said. Fili had been stuck in the Healers' tents until a little over a glass ago. He wasn't dressed for the weather.

By the time Fili had changed, Dori was back. He took the second chair and sat it down on the other side of the cot. Satisfied that he'd done all he could for now, Thorin led his group out into the camp. There was much to be done and little time to do it.

 

Bella woke slowly to a delicious kind of heat. There was a slow thumping noise that she heard under her ear and she wiggled her hands, just to confirm that she was indeed draped across a rock hard chest. She wriggled a bit and heard her pillow groan softly before she yawned and pried her eyes open. Familiar surroundings greeted her.

“Oh, I know this tent!” Bella said drowsily.

Across from her, a blond head popped up and behind him, a darker one.

“Bella?” Fili's voice rang out.

She yawned again before nodding. “Hello Fili, Kili.”

“Thank Mahal! You're awake!” Fili said, relief in his voice. “You've been sleeping for two days!”

She curled even tighter into the blazing heat of the body pressed against hers and smiled. “Summoning the Lady is hard work, Prince Fili. It wears me out.”

“Not just the Lady this time, Bella!” Kili said eagerly as he crawled out of his cot and apparently into Fili's from the fussing. “The Lady let her husband borrow you as well.”

Bella blinked as she processed it and then frowned. “What?”

“You channeled Mahal for us, Bella Baggins.” Thorin's deep voice rumbled, causing his chest to vibrate in pleasant ways. She crooned happily and rubbed her face against his chest in approval, too tired to be worried about her behavior.

The boys laughed. “You look mighty comfortable there, Bella.” Fili told her, his eyes sparking with mischief.

She pulled her gaze back up from her study of those abs stretched out in front of her and met his eyes before smiling herself. “Oh, I am. Thorin makes for a wonderful pillow, let me tell you. And are all dwarrow so warm? It's rather like sleeping next to a fire.”

“Mahal created us with a forge inside.” Kili said proudly. “All dwarrow run hot. It's part of our magic.”

Bella hummed in approval. “I like it.”

Both boys kept grinning at her in amusement and she finally huffed. “Quit staring! I'm busy studying your Uncle's glorious body, lads. There are definitely no hobbits like this back in the Shire. Let me have my chance.”

Fili and Kili both looked shocked for a moment before roaring with laughter. Kili fell backwards off the cot and onto the ground, catching the blankets and pulling Fili off with him. She was smiling when she lifted and turned her head to put her chin on Thorin's breastbone and stare at the face she'd spent so many hours studying on the Quest.

Her eyebrows shot up when she realized he wasn't frowning, but instead, he was smiling softly at her. Fondness was evident in his gaze. Her own eyes widened in surprise.

“Do you mind me ogling you? If so, I apologize. You're beautiful though and usually buried under clothes. I had no idea such a body was hiding under all those layers...” She told him, her voice drifting off as she yawned again. “Thank you for being my pillow.”

Thorin's cheeks actually tinted a bit red as he watched her. “You are not usually so forward, Bella.”

“I've been traveling with thirteen male dwarrow, Thorin Oakenshield. It wouldn't have been appropriate. But I'm tired right now and I'm sure I'll be appropriately scandalized in the morning or something.” She turned her head back and let it rest on his chest, the slow rise and fall soothing. “Now I know why I never found one that interested me in the Shire. All those years... Huh.”

“What do you mean, Bella?” Fili said as he climbed back onto his cot and pulled his covers back over him. Kili was climbing back into his own.

“I was a quite wealthy hobbit, Prince Fili. I inherited Hobbiton from my father and owned 90% of all the land there. All the families around there were my tenants. You think that I lacked in suitors? Hobbits aren't big on money, but the prestige of living in Bag End was enough to draw them. Not a one of them was remotely interesting though.” She told him. “Now I know. I prefer the sullen and broody type with a rock solid body apparently. Noble and stupidly self-sacrificing are more my speed. And glorious abs, too. Oh, and incredibly brave and smart. And arms like steel. Yeah...” Bella sighed. 

Fili and Kili looked stunned for a moment. She watched as their eyes flew up to their Uncle before both of them started smiling. Bella rolled her eyes, waiting for them to start laughing.

“Don't laugh! It didn't help that the Lady answered me, you know. The average hobbit only lives to be around 110. All of the Lady's Chosen have lived to be at least 500, some of them have lived a lot longer. That's a lot of years to be mourning a spouse, you know. At least I know that all of you will be here for a long time to come, assuming you don't go out and get yourselves killed!” She said sternly. “I can't help it if your Uncle is amazing! A few more years on you two and you'll be breaking hearts just like he does!”

“You think so?” Kili said hopefully.

“Of course. You both already have the looks, you just need a bit more maturity. Now that you're home, I'd imagine it will come quickly with all the responsibility.” She told them. Those incredible arms of Thorin's wrapped around her and pinned her to his chest. A huge hand started petting her hair and she couldn't help but melt into him happily. “Did Bard get the crops brought in?”

“Aye, Bella.” Thorin said. “The last of them were brought in yesterday with the help of Dain's dwarrow.”

“The dwarrow helped harvest?” Bella asked in surprise.

“Bard said it was the deal you made with him. You'd grow the crops and he'd split the harvest with us in exchange for another round of crops in the spring, so they can stock up. Bombur has an entire team in the mountain working around the clock preserving and storing food for the winter. Right now, the larder is bursting at the seams and I'm told we'll have more than enough to get through.” Thorin said, his chest rumbling with his voice and causing her to shiver in delight.

“There are more teams working to get the living areas cleaned up, Bella.” Fili told her. “The snows will be here inside of two weeks now. We don't have much time.”

Bella yawned before she scowled. “I need to get up and get down to Dale then. I told Sigrid and Tilda that I'd fix their roof for them.”

Thorin's arms tightened around her. “No need. The Ur brothers are working in Dale now to get enough houses weather tight. It's fast work as the houses are well built out of stone. They'll be done in time.”

“And their firewood supply?”

“Going strong, Bella.” Kili cut in. “They've even been cutting planks using the sawmill and setting them out to dry. We've gotten a portion scheduled to be delivered before the end of the week also.”

“The instructions you wrote out for them are working well, Bella.” Fili told her. “They were preserving food at a good clip and Bard gave us nearly a thousand pounds of fish yesterday to get preserved. They've been netting, just as you suggested.”

“They acted a lot different, Bella.” Kili said quietly. “They weren't nearly as angry and aggressive. They even got Uncle to forge a few things for them and all of them ran out, looking surprised. Whatever did you tell them? They weren't like this before.”

Bella pried her eyes open and sighed. “The truth. I found out that the oldest isn't even forty yet. Not a one of them has ever settled a contract or a treaty. No training in politics or the military. No idea of how to run an information network, you name it. They were all quite horrified to find that the youngest dwarrow in the Company were still twice their age.”

Fili and Kili both grinned proudly and she turned her head once more to look at Thorin. 

“For them, Erebor was a legend. A story told by their ancestors. They'd never dealt with a dwarf. They'd never even seen one! I had a long talk with Bard and his Council before dinner and explained a few things. Things I've learned about dwarrow and how you approach life as well as how they presented themselves. All were concerned that they had no gold to trade with, but I've convinced them that you need time to cool off. What they did was terrible and they understand it now. They're going to focus on rebuilding their town and their Treasury. Smaug destroyed the thing! They didn't even have a secure place to store their money.” She smiled at Thorin. “Next March or so, Bard is going to come to you to trade for the Arkenstone, Thorin. In exchange, he wants all the gold and jewels that came from Dale. He might ask for more originally, but he understands now that the money from Dale should be more than enough to get his town running again.”

“And why would Bard decide to suddenly be patient and help us?” Thorin asked, raising an eyebrow.

She smiled at him, appreciating the bright blue gaze that met hers. “I might have told him about my family back in the Shire. My grandfather, the Thain, who of course, has been supplying your people with food for nearly one hundred and fifty years now. And the fact that you now have enough money to build carts and more than enough caravan guards. The thought of a caravan of supplies coming from the Shire to Erebor seemed to take the wind out of their sails. They need Erebor. It's not the other way around.”

Thorin smiled at her, white teeth flashing in the darkness. “That's quite the devious mind you have there, Bella Baggins.”

She sniffed. “Well, it wouldn't hurt for you to trade with the Shire still. Plenty of things can be grown there that will never work here unless I force them via magic. And honestly, I don't want to have to summon the Lady twice a year for crops if I don't have to.” 

“It would also give us greater food security.” Fili said. “That way, if one has a crop failure, we can ask for more from the other.”

“It's a long trip though via the Gap of Rohan.” Thorin said.

“I'm sure the Rangers know a better way across the mountains. They can probably cut a month off each way if you ask them.” Bella told him. “I think that you might get some goodwill by offering Bard someone that can train Bard and his Council on, well... pretty much everything. He knows absolutely nothing at all. He's never attended a formal dinner. Never written a treaty. Never worried about writing laws or passing taxes. Nothing. If Dale's going to succeed, he needs some serious training.”

Thorin nodded slowly. “I'll speak to the man, Bella. Can you perhaps tell me why I wound up in their forge?”

She grinned at him in amusement. “Well, I didn't think they'd actually ask you to do it, but I told them that you've worked your whole life. For some reason, they think that Kings don't do anything but sit on their thrones all day. I told them that you were a Master Blacksmith whose chosen Craft was sword smithing. I might have bragged a bit, even though I've never seen one of your swords. Ori went on in great detail about them though!”

Thorin's eyebrows shot up and she shrugged. “They needed to understand the difference in skill and experience, Thorin. They also needed to know that your people have had it far worse than they did and for you, all of it happened in your lifetime. I got a sob story about how they were all too poor to better themselves and I needed to shake that mindset out of them!”

Thorin looked amazed and she shrugged again. “It worked, didn't it? At least Bain will grow up learning what he needs and not having to catch up like his Da. Bard's in for some rough years as he grows to fit his new role in life.”

“When did you get so wise, Bella?” Thorin said quietly.

“I've grown up mediating disputes, writing contracts, setting taxes, setting prices and helping my people through the bad times. It's what I know. Bard's got the heart for it, but he lacks the knowledge. He's going to have to work hard to make it.” She told him before yawning again and laying her head back against his chest. “Now, I'm about ready to go back to sleep, so let me ogle your amazing chest while I drift off, okay?”

Fili and Kili started snickering again but Thorin just hummed, one hand moving to slide up and down her back in comfort. That was all it took and Bella went right back to sleep.


End file.
